Hearing aid with integrated telecoil and battery recharge coil

• US 8,953,827 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2012
• Issued: 02/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Starkey Laboratories Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Starkey Laboratories Incorporated
• Inventors: Sacha, Michael Karl, Newton, James R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eason, Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Sean H
• Application Number:
  US13/421,292
• Publication Number:
  US 20120314893A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,062 Days
• Field of Search: 381/323, 381/315, 607/57
• US Class Current: 381/323
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/31 Aspects of the use of accumulators in hearing aids, e.g. rechargeable batteries or fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/55 using an external connection, either wireless or wired
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils

Abstract

A hearing aid is powered by a rechargeable battery and senses a sound signal being a magnetic field using a telecoil. The hearing aid includes a battery recharge coil for receiving power from a hearing aid charger via an inductive couple. The telecoil and the inductive coil are integrated into a single device.

Claims

1. A hearing aid for delivering sounds to an ear canal, comprising:

a coil assembly including a core, a telecoil formed by a first wire wound on the core, and a recharge coil formed by a second wire wound on the core, the first and second wires being separate wires, the telecoil configured to generate a sound signal in response to a sound magnetic field, the recharge coil configured to generate a power signal in response to a power magnetic field;

a processor coupled to the telecoil, the processor configured to process the sound signal;

a receiver coupled to the processor, the receiver configured to deliver the processed sound signal to the ear canal;

a rechargeable battery; and

a charging circuit coupled between the recharge coil and the rechargeable battery, the charging circuit configured to charge the rechargeable battery using the power signal.

2. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the core comprises a permeable core.

3. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the core comprises a metallic core.

4. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the charging circuit comprise a rectifier, a low-pass filter, and a voltage regulator.

5. The hearing aid of claim 4, wherein the charging circuit further comprises a charge controller configured to control whether and when to charge the rechargeable battery for optimal performance of the rechargeable battery.

6. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the processor comprises a digital signal processor.

7. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the rechargeable battery comprises a nickel metal hydride type battery, a nickel cadmium type battery, a lithium air type battery, a lithium ion type battery, a lithium polymer type battery, a lithium sulphur type battery, a silver-zinc type battery, or a super capacitor type battery.

8. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the hearing aid is a behind-the-ear type hearing aid.

9. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the hearing aid is an in-the-ear type hearing aid.

10. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the hearing aid is an in-the-canal type hearing aid.

11. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the hearing aid is a completely-in-the-canal type hearing aid.

12. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the hearing aid is a receiver-in-the-ear type hearing aid.

13. The hearing aid of claim 1, wherein the hearing aid is a receiver-in-canal type hearing aid.

14. A method for operating a hearing aid for delivering sounds to an ear canal, comprising:

generating a sound signal in response to a sound magnetic field using a telecoil wound on a permeable core;

generating a power signal in response to a power magnetic field using a recharge coil wound on the permeable core;

processing the sound signal for delivery to the ear canal; and

charging a rechargeable battery of the hearing aid using the power signal,

wherein the telecoil and the recharge coil are integrated by winding separate wires on the permeable core.

15. The method of claim 14, comprising generating the sound signal in response to the sound magnetic field generated by an assistive hearing device.

16. The method of claim 15, comprising generating the sound signal in response to the sound magnetic field generated by a hearing aid compatible telephone.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising controlling whether and when to charge the rechargeable battery for optimal performance of the rechargeable battery.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein processing the sound signal comprises processing the sound signal using a digital signal processor.

19. The method of claim 14, comprising generating the power magnetic field using a hearing aid charger including a primary coil.

20. The method of claim 19, comprising generating the sound magnetic field using an assistive listening device.